About Glendora Simonson

I come from a long line of dressmakers. Like any girl of southern heritage, I was also expected to learn to cook and clean. I have mastered sewing and cooking. My approach to sewing is very much like my approach to cooking. I almost never follow a pattern or recipe verbatim. Sometimes I wished I had. I prefer to assemble the ingredients, think about pleasing combinations, and playfully experiment. Not only do these guiding principles yield unexpected results, but one creative endeavor leads me happily to other playful experiments.

Beyond experiments with color, I’m also intrigued by the texture and pattern of fabrics, yarns, buttons, and threads. On a bad day, a quick trip to the fabric shop is enough to restore my equilibrium. Simply touching textiles and imagining the possibility of creating something functional or whimsical brightens my mood. Sometimes the fabric shop is in my studio. Hmmm … no purchases necessary.

When the fabric speaks to me, I try to listen. I don’t always but I do try. Time constraints or other priorities interfere with this reflective process. When a piece turns out well, is has movement and balance, tension as well as tranquility. Color progression, patterns and organic shapes make my heart go-a- flutter.

Overall, the focus of my artwork is to embrace traditional textile crafts, but also to immerse myself in vital female energy. I think working with fabric, thread, and yarn is a very female-centered activity. I am equally inspired by an African –American ancestry that informs my work, impacts my artistic sensibilities, and indulges a desire to create exciting contemporary works, which, nonetheless, employ traditional skills.

Glendora Simonson is a co-founder of the Nubian Heritage Quilters Guild as well as Nubian Sisters & Company. She and her three children live in East Orange, New Jersey.